


Like, /like// like him?

by nwtons



Category: The Maze Runner (2014), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-10
Updated: 2014-12-10
Packaged: 2018-02-28 23:13:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2750687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nwtons/pseuds/nwtons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas has been Newt's best friend for as long as he can remember.<br/>There's just one problem.<br/>Newt has been in love with Thomas for as long as he can remember.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like, /like// like him?

**Author's Note:**

> I was too tired to beta this so sorry for any spelling mistakes! I hope you like it!!   
> Also feel free to hit me up on tumblr (http://nwtons.tumblr.com/ask) and leave a fic request!!!   
> p.s. comments make me happy //wink wink nudge nudge// <3

Thomas has been Newt’s best friend for as long as he can remember. 

They make quite the pair, as everyone says.

Newt’s kind of awkward around people, very quiet, not too into going out to parties and social gatherings and such. He’d much rather stay home to watch a movie or read a book or something like that. But then there’s Thomas. He’s what people would call a “social butterfly”. He thrives in big groups, always talking loudly and animatedly, making everyone laugh and listen intently. 

No one really understands how two very different people can get along so well. But they do. They always have. 

But, lately, things have become different. And there’s a simple explanation. 

Newt has been in love with Thomas for as long as he can remember. 

He just hasn’t been able to admit it to himself. And he really didn’t even realize, until a few weeks ago. Coincidentally, that’s when said things started to become different. 

They’re sitting on the floor of Thomas’ bedroom, backs against the side of his bed, playing a video game. It’s their typical Saturday morning. 

And yet, Thomas can’t help but notice the way Newt flinches every time their elbows touch when they move to control their characters. Or the way Newt’s been inching further and further away from him since they first sat down. Their thighs had been pressed together, and now he’s about a foot or two away, and Thomas finds himself missing the warmth of him. 

He sighs and pauses the game, ignoring Newt’s sound of protest. He turns to his best friend and frowns. 

"Are you mad at me?", he asks, suddenly, and he sees Newt’s eyebrows draw together in confusion.

He shakes his head, “Why would I be mad at you?”

Thomas groans and moves closer, narrowing his eyes when Newt moves back immediately.

He points and says, in an accusatory tone, “Aha! See! Why’d you move away just now? You’ve been avoiding me for weeks!” 

"I…", Newt stutters, finally hanging his head in defeat. He plays with the hem of his sweater and looks down at the floor, rubbing his heels against the fluffy carpet, avoiding the question. 

But Thomas presses on, clearly worried. 

"What’s wrong, Newt? Tell me." 

Newt scoffs and says, “Nothing.”, but neither of them believe it for a second. He looks up and sees Thomas raise an eyebrow, and finally sighs in defeat. “Shuck. Fine. Okay.  _Something_ 's wrong.”

Thomas nods, seeming pleased for a moment. But then his small smile falls, and he frowns again, making his signature worried face. Newt does  _not_  need that face right now. It’ll be even worse when Thomas rejects him and storms out, surely.

"I just…", he begins, breathing heavily, unsure of what to say. How does he say it?  _Hey, I know we’ve been best friends for years but I’m gonna ruin it by telling you that I’m in love with you_.  _I know you don’t feel the same but it’s eating me up inside because you’re always here and I can’t have you here the way I want to have you_. 

"Do you… Not wanna be friends anymore?", Thomas asks in a small voice, picking at the carpet with his shaky fingers. He doesn’t look up when he asks it, and Newt stares at him in surprise. 

"What?!" 

"I mean I get it. I totally get it. I’m loud and I drag you to all these places you don’t wanna go, and I talk, like, all the time. It’s probably annoying as shuck." 

Newt shakes his head, reaching out to comfort his friend, but stopping himself just short of Thomas’ shoulder. 

"I like when you drag me to places.", he admits. "At first it  _was_  bloody annoying. But then it started to feel like you really wanted me to go with you. Like you needed me…A-and I like that you talk a lot because I prefer to listen, anyway. And I like to listen to you…” 

"Then what’s wrong?", Thomas puts his hands up in the air, at a loss. 

Newt bites his lip and shakes his head slowly, regretting this entire conversation. He has the strong urge to get up and run and not look back, but he also has the urge to move forward and kiss his best friend, everything be damned. 

"I like you.", he blurts out, all of his thoughts coming to a halt in one moment of pure and utter regret. Thomas is gonna laugh. He’s either gonna take it the wrong way and shake it off, or he’s gonna run away screaming. 

But he just sits there, frozen, mouth slightly open, and stares at Newt. 

"You…", he begins, "You  _like_  me? Like,  _like_  like me?”

Newt rolls his eyes, but he nods all the same. He doesn’t trust himself to form actual words at the moment. 

"Oh.", Thomas says, nodding to himself. And then he moves forward until their crossed legs are touching, and he smiles. "Good. ‘Cause this would have been very awkward if you didn’t."

And then he leans forward, and they’re kissing, and Newt may or may not be having a mini-heart attack. His eyes remain wide open, arms flailing at his sides, and then Thomas pulls away too soon. 

"You good?", he asks, seeming amused.

Newt narrows his eyes at being laughed at, and he reaches forward to pull Thomas in by his shirt, pressing their lips together again.

Thomas has no complaints, melting into the kiss and giving a satisfactory hum against Newt’s lips, arms wrapping around Newt’s neck. Newt rests his hands on Thomas’ knees, moving them up an down his thighs absently as they continue to kiss. It’s perfect.

And then Thomas pulls away again. 

"Wait.", he says, and Newt feels a painful lurch in his chest. "Is this why you’ve been acting so weird? Were you worried about how I’d react?"

Newt huffs, “‘Course I was bloody worried, Tommy.” 

"Why?"

“‘Cause you could have just run away and never looked at me again.”

"You think I’d do that?"

"I don’t know! Probably… not."

"I wouldn’t, you klunk!"

They look at each other in silence. And then Newt’s lips stretch into a smile, and Thomas quickly mirrors it.

"Good.", Newt says. 

"Good.", Thomas agrees. "Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to kiss you some more." 

Newt laughs, but he wraps his arms around Thomas’ neck all the same, enjoying the unexpected happiness that’s warming him from somewhere deep inside, making him giddy. 

"Don’t mind it  _one_  bit, Tommy.”


End file.
